21 Days: A Life Worth Living
by CBarbie92
Summary: HIATUS "No, no, no. I don't think you really understand what this means L! You are going to die. You are going to stop breathing and—" Her breath hitched and a honey hand flew up to cover a pouted mouth. "You are going to go away."
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**L Change The World**

**A/N:** This was a requested story from Jam-Man265! Picking up before L's Death the sequence of events in L Change The World has taken a turn away from the anime! For those of you that have read my Timid and the Brave DN story, you already know my OC of choice and her place among the story. If you haven't seen the movie, good luck keeping up. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_My name is Anna Wells. _

_This is not my real name however, but it is how you will know me. _

_There may still be some that can use the information you are about to read against me, my family, or the other letters. Please do not mistreat it. Do not underestimate the severity of this file. While holding no useful numerical or case data it does tell a story dear to my heart; a story of the historical kind._

_This is the story of my last twenty-three days with the detective L._

_Twenty-three days he spent doing all he could to change the world. _

**Computer Login:**

_Username: Ideal_

_Password: Lawliet_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Access Granted_

_..._

_File/F1225/Case Notes/Diary_

_..._

**File Login:**

_Password: HeIsNeverWrong_

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Access Granted_

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought—"

"No L! You weren't thinking! Not of anyone besides yourself anyway!"

The detective frowned at his childhood friend, "I thought of Watari... and you..."

"No, no, no. I don't think you really understand what this means L! You are going to die. You are going to stop breathing and—" Her breath hitched and a honey hand flew up to cover a pouted mouth. "You are going to go away."

"My name needs to be the last written. I need to stop this."

"You could have stopped this without writing your name."

"I calculated the time we've known each other, and the time we spent together. I worked that in with the time you would spend in mourning and deduced..."

"WHAT?! You calculated my feelings!" Anna Wells shouted freely at the great detective L within the comfort of soundproofed walls, "You can't calculate how I feel about you! That's not how love works!"

"Love?"

"Yes!" Her breathing was heavy and she couldn't find the strength to shout, "I wouldn't still be here working this case if I didn't love you." Tears streamed down her face, "But now I don't have any time."

"Twenty-three days."

"What?" she whispered.

"I have twenty-three days starting from the day of Light's death."

Her expression was confusion mixed with pure irritation and pain, "Do I want to know when that is?"

"Tonight I plan to remove both Kiras and close this case. If you could, I would like to delegate my remaining aliases to the other children."

"I don't think so."

"Ideal..." he pleaded almost. His round eyes looking though her the way they did when he was seriously trying to figure her out. "I didn't know."

She offered him a dry, pitiful, chuckle, "I guess that's my own fault."

"Please..."

"No, it's fine. I trust you and the decisions you make. There's a reason you did this that I can't hope to understand."

"Is everything alright in here?"

Anna hastily wiped her tears as Watari entered the room and L shoved his hands deep into his pockets, "We are well Watari."

The old man chuckled knowingly. Having known both adults since they were very young he knew something was not well, but he wouldn't mess in their dealings. They were adults now and he could no longer treat them as children. At least not in some aspects, "Dinner."

The woman took her tray to her seat, opening a steaming plate of steamed rice with meats and veggies. Her glass contained wine and she smiled warmly as she took a sip, "Thank you Watari."

L ran his eyes hungrily over his own plate, instead filled with sweets, "Yes, thank you."

Watari just smiled, happy to serve them as he could and watch them grow. Watch them live on. "Ring if you need anything. I'm going to fetch Miss Misora."

Anna's fork paused in the air as he left the room, "He doesn't know, does he?"

"I think it would be best if he didn't."

* * *

"You can't sit in here with the lights out forever."

"Oh?" L looked up from lighting the candle before him.

"It's been three days." She reminded him as gently as she could.

"I hadn't noticed."

Anna walked over to his chair; almost hesitant to sit where she had for the whole of the Kira case, on the right arm. The leather had even worn slightly from her ritual. She perched there after a slight pause, "It's not your fault."

The detective took a deep breath, "I know..." He picked up one of the two black notebooks on his left, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Light thought he was god with that thing." The woman commented, disgusted.

"**He was." **

Ryuk drifted into the room and Anna chose to turn her head away. Both he and Rem were like a memory from a childhood nightmare that she didn't want to relive, "Ryuk." She said shortly.

He chuckled, **"Burning that won't change your lifespan."**

The book still hovered above the flame, "I'm aware."

"**Then why not become a god with that? Like Light?"**

L moved the book from the fire and finally turned his head to acknowledge him, "Tell me, did Light die like a god?"

Ryuk sputtered and flew away as Anna got up from the chair and L finally lit the book aflame. It screamed with multiple voices as he dropped it in an old chocolate tin and tossed the second book atop it.

The woman hugged herself as blue flames leapt and shouted in agony, then all at once they fire went out. "I wish that would have changed for you."

L stood and walked over to her, "I'm sorry."

Even with his curved back his height bested hers by just enough that she had to tilt her head so subtly to reach his lips. But she stopped and stepped back, "Maybe we should tell the other letters now?"

He nodded, unfazed, "Yes, I agree."

They both moved to the computer and L perched himself in Watari's chair. Anna ran her hand along the dark leather and frowned. She missed him. He was a father and a teacher, a friend to her and she knew he was L's reason for living. She had only hoped, that she could be his reason too.

Watari has died. We will mourn his death. L &amp; I

L typed the message for both of them and scrolled through the list of letters that were assigned and still alive to receive the message. Each of the letters Anna and L had met as children, knew, trusted, all but one.

The mouse hovered over 'K'.

A hand on his shoulder help the detective make up his mind and he clicked it and sent the mass message. There was an immediate reply from K.

Thank you for the information. It comes as a shock. I will mourn his death, too. K

The hand on his shoulder ran down his arm and Anna twisted her fingers with his. "See?"

"Yes."

The two of them sat in the dark for a while longer, close and somewhat holding hands. L felt the fabric on his shoulder moisten and detected the change in the woman's breathing.

"Don't cry." He tried.

"It scares me that soon I will have to tell them this about you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Time**

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait on this. Semester is ending. Lots of portfolio reviews and tests. Also there are changes to the movie's make-up in this chapter. A sex change in the child has been requested by the person who requested this fic. I promise not to deviate any further. :)

* * *

"Are we only going to sit here and solve cases?" Anna was bitter, snatching another binder from the overwhelming pile while still glaring at L.

The detective ignored her, typing away at his computer obnoxiously. She opened her mouth to snap at him but instead a phone line opened and he tittered on in Italian, he'd found the serial killer apparently killing clergymen. Once finished he finally turned to her, "Yes. We are."

She huffed and opened a phone line of her own, rambling on in rapid-fire french. The woman she was talking to stumbled to keep up and asked her to repeat several things. By the end Anna was breathing heavily, worked up and annoyed. "Nineteen days left L! We can't sit here and drown in papers and data! Pour l'amour de dieu tu meurs!" she dipped back into french for that last bit but he understood.

He _was_ dying…

His next call was in English and Anna rose from her seat, dumping her finished cases in the pile on the floor and walking into the hallway.

She knew he was only saving time for the other letters. Why dump his cases on the children when he was alive to finish them? Either way, he was wasting his own time while saving it for others. There was so much he could be doing…

"Ideal."

His call from inside the room was her codename, she'd rather him call her name or letter, anything besides that self righteous lie of a codename.

L watched her form as she reentered the room and seated herself at the other side of the shrinking pile of cases. She grabbed one and addressed him without looking up, "Let's keep going."

* * *

Anna started in her sleep at the sound of the computer blaring. She knocked over a pile of papers and her unfinished cup of tea. L woke slowly despite the racket and inquired, "What?"

"The computer." she maneuvered through the debris in the office and reached the offending object, flipping open the lid, "Damn it it's 2 am."

A female operator, T, smiled and said, _"Phone call from Chaiang Mai, for Watari."_

L joined her as she said, "The only person who would be looking for Watari would be someone who doesn't know he's gone." T seemed to shrug with her expression and Anna looked up at the man at her shoulder.

"I, L, will take the call."

T patched the call through and immediately a frantic child's voice shouted, _"F1225! F1225! F1225!"_

The two letters looked to each other, understanding the code. They all had one, individually tailored to their letter. A code to signify an emergency, a gift, someone who needed protecting… their replacement.

"What do you want to do?"

L walked away from the chair and grabbed his phone, "It's a gift from F. We must accept it."

"F is dead." Anna said weakly, "How did that get past us?"

"Well, now we know he's gone."

Anna wasn't amused by how lightly L was taking the death of another letter. Her lips tightened and she glared at L, finding that she was doing that more often lately. "Only Watari can validate a replacement letter."

"We have no choice this time."

She turned back to the computer, hesitant. This was just what she needed, more stuff to worry about. F sent a gift, it was common practice to accept. She looked to Watari's picture on the desk, fourteen days. Fourteen days left and now this. "We accept the gift."

The line died and Anna immediately went into calling everyone they would need in order to locate the child and bring them here. L watched her quietly, noting her apprehension.

"You're worried." he finally said.

"We…_you _don't have a lot of time. This is the last thing we need."

"The cases are finished and in Watari's absence we must continue the way we were taught. Why do you want to change it?"

"I just want to make the most of my time with you…"

He waited to say something before settling on, "I'm sorry."

"No need." She stood and grabbed a jacket, sighing, "You're right. We were taught to look after each other, no questions asked."

* * *

"This would be easier if we knew exactly how F died." Anna spoke loudly above the whipping wind on the helipad.

L sighed, "How is that relevant?"

"F was investigating an outbreak of an unknown virus. It kills quickly apparently and my guess is _that's_ how he died. _But _someone could have got to him before the virus did. According to this video, he's seen some stuff he shouldn't have."

L bit the edge of his thumb as he watched the helicopter approach from the distance, "That's a possibility. The medical team should be able to handle it if it was the virus."

"I hope so." the woman's nose was even deeper in the file she was holding, and her voice raised another octave, "We could have a serious problem on our hands."

"I don't think that will be a worry."

Only then did Anna hear the rattling of the gurney as it passed and looked up in time to see a very small little girl calmly staring at the sky through her clear, sterile, bubble. She expected hysterics in a child going through such an ordeal or at the very least some tears. DNA samples were taken and blood was drawn but even still the girl stared blankly, almost bored at now the hospital ceiling instead of the night sky.

L stood close to Anna, close enough to feel her trembling as the child's eyes found them, standing at the end of her bed, watching.

There was a familiar feeling in her young gaze, a feeling of intellectual superiority, of knowing and understanding. The feeling of meeting another Whammy letter.

"She's scared, but she's physically sound."

"How is it that she's not infected?" L asked.

The doctor looked at the adults and put his hands on his hips, "I don't know."

Anna sighed tiredly, "F said the virus has been weaponized. We need to find a countermeasure before they perfect it." she looked at L who looked back at her, "The girl may be the key."

The detective put his thumb in his mouth, "Run every test you have."

The young woman cast a sideways glance at the small girl. She was indeed terrified. Beneath that blank stare her pupils were wide and quivering, "L…"

"Yes?"

There it was. That absolute "what-I-say-goes" tone of voice. She shook her head, he probably didn't even know he did it sometimes, "Nothing. Run the tests."

L pouted, "What's wrong?"

Anna put her back to the hospital bed and lowered her voice, "She's scared L."

"Hm..?"

"You know my specialty is people. And she's a child, she's not hard to read. Eyes wide, long moments of eye contact, she's asking for help."

"We are helping."

Her gaze was sharp, "Whatever."

"Ideal."

"Don't call me that." she snapped harshly at him.

The detective frowned as she left into the hospital hall. Anna just seemed to be getting angrier and angrier as his days ticked by. While his looming death didn't bother him much; he was more concerned with her state of mind after he was gone.

_*For god's sake you're dying!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Comforting Actions**

* * *

"You haven't slept."

"Neither have you."

L shuffled his feet, glancing at the little girl asleep on the plush couch across the room then looking back to Anna, "But you need sleep."

"So do you."

"Anna."

"L."

She kept hunched over the computer, going over the footage from F's video clips and simultaneously running every database for this Matoba person. Might as well finish the case they started. The woman stood and crossed the room to grab a book. L followed her closely with his gaze. "Aren't you tired?"

"I am." She said dully as she returned to her task.

"Then you should sleep."

"I'll sleep when you sleep." she started absently as she speed-read through the first chapter of 'Deadly Virus and Infectious Diseases'. "I stay awake to keep you company and finish these tasks." It's not like she could sleep in her current emotional state anyway. His remaining time ticked away in the back of her mind all the way down the to the milliseconds.

"…thank you."

"No need to thank me L."

"So you arent angry with me?"

Anna huffed in frustration, more so over his talking interupting her concentration than anything else. She really wanted to get this done… "I was never really angry as much as I am worried."

"Why?"

"I'm worried that you're taking on too much in the time you have left."

On the couch across the room their young charge stirred and rolled over, opening her eyes. She whined sleepily and held out her arms. With a sigh Anna approached her, lifting her up. Without another word she left the room, going to put the girl in bed down the hall.

The young girl clutched at the woman, even after being laid in the bed. It was cute, but sad nonetheless. Anna was aware that her attachment was due to the absence of her own parents. She didn't like Anna out of her sight for too long and she feared L in the beginning, but would always rival his dark stare with her own.

"Go to sleep please."

The girl just blinked and Anna sighed, "I can't stay here with you."

A pout.

"None of that please. I'm just down the hall. You know how to get there."

The girl nodded and Anna turned out the lights, "Got to sleep."

A whimper.

Another sigh. Anna approached the bed in the dark and lent down, kissing the child's head. She returned to hall, rubbing her eyes, "Why did you do that?"

She jumped, "Don't sneak up on me!"

L shuffled his feet and glanced at the cracked door, the child inside slowly drifting back to sleep. "Why did you kiss her?"

The two headed back to the office, "For comfort." the woman started, "Don't you remember Watari kissing us like that?"

The detective nodded, "I have plenty of time Ideal."

The woman winced and her chocolate eyes narrowed in the detective. "I _really _don't want you to call me that."

"It's your name."

"No. It'a not my name. It's pretentious and haughty. It's a lie." she moved to brush past him, hoping to continue her tasks.

L grabbed her hand, stopping her. No words were exchanged as he just looked at her curiously. He realized he didn't like the bags forming beneath her eyes to match his own and that he also didn't like her tense, sleep deprived, nature.

His fingertips were cold on the side of her neck and his lips were even colder on her forehead, but the feeling left over was very much warm, "You should sleep."

She smiled, a genuine although tired smile. That wasn't how it worked, but whatever he wanted to give she was very glad to take.

* * *

"Anna, it's time to get up."

The woman put her face in the couch cushion and groaned, "I heard you on the phone..."

"Computer actually, I just finished a call with K."

Another groan before she got up and rubbed her eyes. "What do you need?"

"I recorded the footage from the conversation."

She approached the computer and reached over him for the controls, "How long was I asleep?"

"Twenty-three minutes forty-five seconds."

The mouse clicked and opened the recording. Anna's chocolate gaze ran around the screen for the first minute or so then she paused it. L looked to her then looked at the screen, "Find something?"

"She keeps looking away from the computer slightly, like someone is standing there." Anna fell almost on top of L as she tried to work the computer, zooming in on the screen to a reflective surface, "See that? Three other people in the room."

"I can't see through you unfortunately." came his voice, quietly.

She didn't get up but instead shifted her head to his shoulder, "See? And i've been looking at pictures of Matoba all day." she pointed again, "That guy in the suit is him."

"Then we should get ready." he stood up, forcing her out of the plush chair.

"What did 'K' want?"

"I have reason to believe she's chasing the antidote for the same virus 'F' was investigating. I think she may have also been the one to help create and weaponize it."

It made a lot of sense, 'K' was a brilliant scientist before she left the manor. Although her reason for leaving had always been shrouded in mystery, many of the older children at the time said she had been released by Watari, but he graciously let her keep her letter.

"Do you think Watari was prepared for this type of thing?"

L turned back to the woman, "What do you mean?"

"Letter's becoming warped by their own beliefs? 'A' killed himself, 'B' went crazy…now 'K'…" She fell silent for a moment, just looking at her hands, "L…even you have lost yourself…and without you I'll be next."

"Our intellect flaws all of us, I think Watari was indeed prepared for this. I still believe my death is reasonable and that your grief will not overcome you." he felt that lie attempt to bite back, "You're too strong Ideal."

Anna stood and started back to the couch, but not without wordlessly doubling back to the detective and leaning over his hunched form. With a swift kiss to his forehead she bid him goodnight and resumed her face-down position on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A History**

* * *

"_L, why did you call me here?"_

_The detective turned away from the pile of monitors and tapes crowding the only desk in the hotel room. Anna stood with her arms folded, still dressed in the dark suit she had worn on her flight from the states to Japan, three gold stars glittered on her lapel. They signified her rank in…well…it was a secret the americans kept well._

"_Who else would I have called?" he said as if it were obvious._

_She blushed, "That isn't much of an answer."_

_He stood from the chair he was perched in and approached her, "Kira is a mystery I cannot solve alone, I need help."_

_She rolled her brown eyes, "L. Why me? Just answer the question, please."_

_L put a thumb to his lips, "You are the only one I trust. I want you by my side for this."_

_Her frown turned up into a smirk, "And somehow you knew I would abandon my post overseas and jet over here to help?"_

_He smiled, "Yes."_

"_Alright. If you want me by your side, that's where i'll stay."_

Anna managed to catch L staring at her as she lounged on the coach across the room, "What?"

"Do you regret coming to help me with the Kira case?"

"Thats an odd question. If I didn't want to help you I would have returned to the states and been done with you."

L frowned, "There were times when you wanted to leave?"

"Once or twice. There were times where the case was too much for me too. Intellect isn't my super power L, even Watari knew that. I'm not a successor for a reason." she shrugged, "But you trusted me…I didn't want to let you down." The truth was that as she watched his passion for catching Kira, she grew fonder and fonder of the boy she had grown up with. As a man L was awkward and sometimes blunt and cold…but for him to admit to wanting her company and hers alone…well…she would stick by him until the day he died.

"If you want to leave now, I won't stop you."

"No part of me wants to leave. If I leave you here to handle this escalating problem alone I'm negligent. If I leave you alone to die in the next seven days I'm evil." She matched his serious gaze as she continued, "I'm staying until you breathe your last. We have a history together…it's all that I can do."

L nodded in that subtle way he does and she nods back, returning to her lounging position with her arm over her eyes.

"Thank you."

"Yeah…"

L continued through his work as Anna snored lightly on the couch. His keyboard clicks more like a lullaby than a nuisance to the woman. Their young charge wandered in after a while, and while the child was clearly annoyed at the woman's nap, she was perfectly content with watching L bang away on his keyboard.

The day passed like that. Anna on the couch, dozing in-between her tasks, the little girl wandering about and occasionally seen with an advanced book, and L banging at his keyboard or playing chess.

The was what he was doing when a beep sounded in the room, Anna had been dozing and sat up sleepily, "Um…excuse me."

It was the intercom from the front of the building. L brought up the camera and spoke clearly to the man, "Can I help you?"

"I was told to show you this." the man held up a chip with a peculiar looking logo on the front.

Anna rubbed her eyes and stretched, "I feel like i've seen that somewhere." she shifted through the piled of paper on the desk and L pressed the intercom again.

"I have no idea what that is."

The woman rolled her eyes, "Wait wait! I found it!" She waved a paper at the detective as the man rubbed his head and muttered about the wrong address again. "It's the company where an associate of Watari's works." the woman turned to the camera herself, "How did you come across that?"

"I've been driving all night since yesterday. She gave it to me, said she was looking for a man named Watari."

"She?"

"Yes. My passenger is a young girl."

Anna looked to L but spoke to the man, "Tell her she's safe, I'll be right down."

The connection was terminated and the woman headed for the door, "Anna." L called after her.

She stopped for a brief moment, "I saw that symbol somewhere else too…on K's lab-coat."

* * *

L put his finger to his lip as Anna placed the syringe and the data chip on the desk before him. "Any idea what that is?"

"A virus." he answered without hesitation.

"A virus?" the older child spoke up from where she sat before a plate of untouched food. The younger girl across from her had finished and was waiting expectantly for dessert.

L stood from his chair to oblige her…and himself, "Yes. And no one must possess the antidote."

Anna finished his thought, "Or it will be the perfect weapon right?"

He nodded as he placed cake before the little one then sat with his own piece, pouring tea not too long after. "Professor Nikaido avoided this by destroying the only antidote…and himself." It had been the name in the file Anna had read. Nikaido was a friend of Watari's and an occasional teacher at the home. It would make sense for the man to trust his daughter to someone who had made his living protecting and teaching children.

The girl hung her head and began to cry. "Maki." Anna started and the girl jumped, "That is your name right?"

She nodded, wiping away her tears. The woman continued to smile, "You should eat, it's late."

"How late?" The girl panicked, "What time is it!"

"Eight."

She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a thermometer, sticking it promptly in her ear until it beeped. She checked the display, wrote down the number, then put everything away. There was silence for a moment until she started crying again, this time the tears flowed freely. It wasn't long before both girl were crying and Anna did the best she could to console them. L looked on in confusion, but was intrigued as well. As he now too understood the pain of loss.

The moment was torn apart as alarms started sound and the lights in the room turned and eerie green. Anna put the girls together and wordlessly went about the room. She handed Maki a few files and a tiny computer, "Put these in your bag."

She did as she was told until she noticed the camera's along the wall and apparently someone she knew entering the building. Her breathing came heavy as she grabbed her bag and her bear, running from the room.

"Maki!"

Anna grabbed a few more things, including a gun and a few more packages of rounds before turning to L who was only just standing from his seat and shuffling to the other child. "You don't seem concerned at all."

"Well, you are going after her right?"

The woman cocked her gun and moved to the door, "Be careful."

The hallway was the same eerie green and the alarm continued. But Anna only had to take the bend in the hallway to find Maki… and K.

"**K.****"** L's voice over the speaker and the click of Anna's gun cocking made Dr. Kujo glare ahead.

"You know my name." she smirked, "So now I should know yours. Come out." she spoke to the walls.

Anna glared back, "No. You can address me and only me."

"**Ideal can answer any questions you have."**

"Ideal… you must be 'I'."

"And you would be right." the woman moved Maki behind her, "Now leave."

More people turned the opposite bend in the hall and Anna took a step back, pushing the girl. Three more people, two with guns. Where was Matoba? She heard footsteps before another figure appeared, there he was.

Menacing. Cold.

Her gun stayed up as two more were pointed at her.

"So even the great L needs some real muscle." Kujo mocked the now quiet air, "Not everything can be solved upstairs." she tapped the side of her own head, "Even intellect can be a weakness."

Anna backed up again as the two people came closer.

She heard rustling behind her and turned to see the girl rummaging in her bag. Maki pulled out the syringe and plucked off the cap, "What are you doing?"

It was over quickly but the woman was so mesmerized she almost didn't notice the man coming up behind her. She elbowed him in the nose and pivoted to shoot him in the foot. Two shots rang out and Anna doubled over before standing and grabbing Maki's arm.

The girl protested as she was dragged along, "Stop! You'll be infected!"

She hoisted the girl up, flinching, and continued as fast as she could. A patch in the wall opened another hallway with the slightest brush and L came over the speaker, **"****Are you ok?****"**

"Yeah. Don't tell me her intellect comment shut you up."

"**Never."**

Anna set Maki down, "That was reckless and stupid."

"I wanted to kill her! I'll kill her with the virus just let me go!"

The woman wretched the girl's arm, "No! You need to stop! Do you really think your father destroyed the antidote so you could infect yourself?"

Maki went quiet and Anna started again down the hall, "L, where are you?"

"**On my way to the lobby."**

"Is she with you?"

"**Yes."**

The two females swiped another patch in the wall, this time spilling out to the stairs to meet L and his tag-along. They rumbled down the stairs and Anna felt Maki slowing down. She turned to check on the girl just as she swayed and was caught in someone else's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Onwards**

"F.B.I., Suruga."

Anna ran her eyes over the man's badge as she held back a wince, "We haven't asked for any aid."

"Of course you didn't. I was sent to protect L after Watari's death." He smiled brightly, "It just seems that I arrived just in time."

"You're actually very late." The woman's gaze narrowed, "And _I_ am the only person assigned to protect L."

Suruga unconsciously took a step back at the woman's venom and his smile shrunk by almost half, "I don't mean to intrude at all…"

"Well you have. The FBI had no way of knowing Watari was dead."

There was a silence that made the woman feel as if there was a secret she didn't know. At this moment she really didn't care, there were more pressing matters at hand. Speaking of hands, her right hand disappeared under her jacket and stayed there, "Let's just go."

The agent nodded, "This way!"

L turned in the opposite direction, "No, we go this way." he approached a keypad on the fake double door sand punched in the code only he and Anna knew.

As the doors swung open and Suruga gasped at the sight go the bright pink 'Angel Crepe' truck, the woman rolled her eyes, "I hate this truck."

* * *

"Anna, are you alright?"

The woman steadied herself in the moving truck with her left hand as her right hand still hid inside her jacket. She breathed heavily and winced often, she was even turning a bit pale. She nodded in response.

The detective flicked a switch where a partition rose and his seat moved into the front half of the truck. Anna followed, leaning against the detective's chair and taking a deep breath, "You know something don't you?"

Suruga glanced at her, "Yes. This group, they call themselves Blue Ship."

"The environmental group?" Both men looked at her and she shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, "In my last position we investigated them but categorized them as harmless."

"Last position?" Suruga started.

"That is besides the point Mr. Suruga. You were saying…"

The man eyed the woman a little more and turned back to his driving, "Harmless they may have been but now with that scarred man they are dangerous. He's an extremist."

"Matoba."

Suruga's eyes widened at the woman's giving of the name and L put his thumb to his lips, "He's the scarred man. We have reason to believe he's behind another incident we are looking into."

"So he's already used Blue Ship to its maximum potential?"

"No, he hasn't. A little village in the other side of the world is hardly 'maximum potential'. Dominant countries with large populations… _that_ is the maximum potential."

Suruga looked to L to clarify, or correct something the woman said but the detective just watched the road.

Anna returned to the back of the truck and checked on the girls. Maki looked a her feet until the woman lifted her chin. Her gaze was apologetic but Anna just smiled at her. The little one frowned rather deeply as she noticed the woman's hand as her jacket gave way with her movements. She slumped to the floor and rustled with the first aid box, "L, I need you to make a decision, I do of have a hole in my gut."

The detective looked back at her, his eyes widening a mere fraction at the site of the stain on her white shirt as she moved her jacket aside to patch said hole. "Of course. Mr. Suruga, pull over here. We're getting out."

"Getting out? We need to go to the hospital!"

"He's right. It'll be easier for us to disappear if you drive around the city for a while and get them off our trail." Anna finished up her messy bandage job and joined the men again.

The crepe truck pulled to the side of the busy Tokyo road, much to the delight of some high schoolers passing by, each one excited about buying a crepe from the truck.

L ignored them as he climbed down from the truck and awkwardly let the girls out before doing his best to aid Anna who flinched and closed her eyes. He stood very close to her as she tried to gather herself, "Are you going to make it?"

She chuckled, "I'm not going to die if that's what you're asking."

He nodded once. "Mr. Suruga! We'll meet here in two hours."

The FBI agent twitched as the four of them trotted into the crowds and he realized as a car sped around the corner behind him, that he was the decoy…

* * *

"I need to go in here." Anna steered the group into a cramped shopping center.

L shoved his hands in his pocket, "What do you need from here?"

The woman ignored his question until she arrived at a booth buzzing and whirring with toys, "We don't have any means of communication Ryuzaki." His eyes narrowed until he remembered they were indeed out in the open so she couldn't call him L.

She gathered a few bits and bobs and started talking herself through a radio assembly, reminding herself of the parts and steps involved. L stopped listening to her babbling and noticed that their little charge was clinging quite tightly to a doll with midnight hair and a pretty yellow dress.

"All done. Let's go."

Her smile passed as Anna put the doll away and picked the girl up, again flinching at the pain in her lower ribs.

L followed behind with Maki's hand in his. Anna's head turned right and left constantly and she occasionally turned back to check on the detective and older girl. She was surveying the area, making sure they weren't being followed. Injured or no, her top priority was the protection of L and the children.

She stopped in the middle of the crowd as she remembered something, 'Protecting him…' she thought, '…I can't truly protect him…' Anna bit her lip, "This way."

"Welcome Masters!"

The woman tried not to roll her eyes, damn maid cafe's. "We need a table, preferably in the back." Anna's Japanese was almost as flawless as her french.

The young girl bowed deeply, her pigtails falling over her shoulders and her maid apron lifting from her skirt, "Of course Mistress!"

Maki was so confused by the three people at the table. The Anna woman was apparently the most normal, although she seemed a bit…the word escaped Maki; maybe paranoid. Then their was L, a grown man, sitting the way he was sitting and rather enjoying the very large sundae he'd ordered. Childlike almost except his awkwardness with people… Lastly was the young girl next to her who was laying out sugar cubes color coded brown and white.

"That's strange." Maki pointed out.

L looked up from his sundae as Anna looked away from her second assembled radio, "Fibonacci numbers." the two started together.

Anna smiled, the genius stuff wasn't her thing, people were her thing, but those numbers were a personal favorite and the only thing Roger had ever really gotten her to learn.

"She's a mathematical genius, although this may seem strange to you." L placed a sugar cube in the correct spot and the girl continued her methodical alignment of the sweets.

"There are lots of strange things that actually aren't all that strange Maki." The woman handed L one of the tiny transmitters and smiled at the girl, "You just have to live some more and learn some more." The girl dropped her head a little and Anna cleared her throat to grab her attention again, "You'll be fine Maki, especially since the virus you had was a fake."

"That's not possible."

L fiddled with his long dessert spoon, "Your father was infected and died within several minutes. Here it has been almost an hour and your body temperature hasn't changed."

Anna almost dropped her coffee as it seemed that she and Maki had come to the same conclusion; more or less.

"Maki, why do you check your temperature everyday?"

"My father said I needed to record my temperature to watch for changes because of the injections."

"Injections?"

"He never told me what they were for."

L looked at Anna and she rose her eyebrows. She didn't know what to tell him, it could be what they were both clearly thinking; Maki had _always_ been infected. She could have been both an incubator for the virus and the key to the cure. Anna tried not to look at Maki's sad face, "L, we don't have a lot of time."

"Of course. We do only have six days."

Anna dropped the spoon she had picked up to stir her fresh cup of coffee. L's eyes moved to her lazily as several young girls crowded the table, "Are you ok Mistress? Let me get you another spoon! More coffee! Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine thank you." Her hand shook as she picked up the coffee cup, "I'm fine."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Compromise**

* * *

"L?"

"Yes Anna?"

"Do you think you'll ever tell me why you did it? The real reason?"

The detective watched the woman as the breeze coming off the water threw her hair around gently. She stared off at the warehouse across the water, not really paying the rest of their surroundings too much attention. Which for her, was very odd.

"I don't believe there's anything to tell."

Her gaze was condescending and cold but she shrugged and stood from her perch on the edge of the dock, "Fine."

She passed Suruga as he approached but kept walking, not acknowledging him. Suruga frowned at her back and said to the detective, "Isn't she hurt? Have you gone to the hospital?"

"Anna is not our focus here Mr. Suruga. Maki has injected herself and before the virus takes affect we need to travel fairly far."

"With her in tow? Isn't that dangerous? We'll all get infected."

L glanced at him, "Maybe we will. Perhaps it will not be as quietly as I hoped."

Suruga looked at him with confusion then to Anna who wasn't standing too far off. Her arms folded and her expression rather dark. She just shook her head.

* * *

Anna rolled her eyes as she looked over to catch L swinging on the railing of the train car. Maki sat obediently next to him and their young charge quietly next to her. "Ridiculous." She muttered under her breath as the train took another sharp jolt and her hand flew to her abdomen again. She'd treated her wound the best she could in that sweet shop bathroom, but she was sure she was bleeding again by now.

L continued to swing like a chimp, paying her no mind.

Maki was staring rather intently at whatever she was reading… and she hadn't turned the page in a while. Instead of relying on her peripherals Anna looked over and scanned the math problem, a graph of some sort.

The little one's head turned and she too started to stare rather intently. But Anna was sure the wheels in her head were turning.

Maki slammed the book shut, the little one jumped, Anna rolled her eyes again, "Where are we going?"

L stopped swinging to address Maki, "To see a man named Koichi Matsudo."

"How do you know Professor Matsudo?"

"His name was in the book of infectious diseases… your father was a cowriter. The professor was a teacher where Anna and I grew up."

Anna's fiercely annoyed expression melted into a smirk. Leave it to L to remember something he read once. _"__We interrupt this program for emergency news. A girl infected by a dangerous virus has escaped from a hospital.__"_

The woman stood from her seat and blocked Maki from view. "Ryuzaki, news stations are broadcasting Maki as an infected escapee."

L nodded, leave it to Anna to hear what needed to be heard. The phone's news cast continued as the person listening took on a look of shock and tried to identify the girl behind Anna as the newscaster went on with a description.

"We have to get off this train now."

Panic already erupted as the train pulled into the next stop; some people hopped off screaming and others simply hurried to get away.

Anna lead the line through the station as people pointed and shouted. They'd seen the news and identified Maki. Soon this place would be crawling with policemen and people in rad-suits. She cut them down the side of a building and managed to locate a rack with several bikes. "No more public transportation. We cant be seen."

"Anna, will you be able to keep up?" L gestured to her gut, the old, now almost black, stain on her shirt appeared wet again.

She tried to give him a smile and failed miserably, "I don't have a choice at this point."

Their pace slowed considerably and police presence restricted where they could go. The four of them stuck to side streets and allies, quiet neighborhoods and such. The sun started setting before they stopped.

L situated them all into a small compartment in a cyber cafe. The children had eaten, Maki was sleeping, and the little one sat up watching L try and get into his files. The access denied message made the child frown. L pat her head, "It's ok. I knew this would happen."

Anna watched tiredly from her end of the cubby as the girl lay down and roll over. L turned off the computer and crawled the small space to be next to her, "Anna…"

"Is that true?"

"Yes."

The woman took a deep breath, it was surprisingly raspy and tired sounding as she held her gut, fresh on-the-fly bandages and a clean shirt she managed to steal, a black one this time to hide the blood, "Don't lie to me."

He nodded, "None of this is happening as I planned."

She licked her lips before she smirked, "Never thought i'd see the day…"

L sat next to her, their shoulders brushing, "You can't die."

Her laugh cut as she coughed, "From this? Bleeding to death while running away? Never."

"I'm afraid." he admitted.

"So am I."

"I'm sorry." he apologized.

"Mm hm."

He turned to her as her head lolled forward, sleeping, although the emotion he felt may have been fear that she had indeed just died from blood loss. But her nose crinkled in that sleepy way she had since forever and he relaxed enough to reach over and tangle a hand in her hair.

* * *

"Have the two of you completely lost your minds!"

They'd made it to professor Matsudo's home where the beatings began. Nothing serious, just a few smacks with a surprisingly thick stack of papers. It didn't bother L too much and Anna avoided the beatings thanks to the minor surgery shed endured when they arrived. Matsudo was more interested in dislodging the bullet from her gut in the beginning than hearing about Maki's condition.

"If the virus had become live the entire metropolitan area would be quarantined right now."

"I was able to deduce the amount of time available for us to get here."

"We would have gotten here sooner." Anna started, "But our primary transportation was compromised."

"Why bring a living bio-bomb here?"

The woman rolled over on her cot to face the child next to her and sigh, "The usual. Terrorists and bio weapons."

Matsudo looked to L for confirmation who could only offer a shrug as he attempted his third pack of red bean mochi, the plastic packaging clutched in his hand. Matsudo grabbed the detective by the back of the shirt and and practically threw him into the next room.

Anna smiled at the little one who sat patiently swinging her legs. When the door opened again it was Maki, followed closely by L and the professor. Matsudo crossed his arms tightly, "Well, what is it you two plan on doing?"

"We were hoping you could make the antidote." The woman didn't bother to roll over as she made her statement.

"I can't!"

L answered immediately, "Nikaido could."

The old man took a few moments to weigh it all. Putting his hands in the pocket of his lab coat he decided on, "I'm scared. My vaccine killed people…"

Maki listened quietly, as did the little one, and Anna looked over her shoulder as L spoke, "There are people I've sacrificed too. But right now I can't abandon the life before me."

The room fell silent again before Matsudo shuffled from the room, "I'll make preparations."

Anna returned to her position and finally let the anesthetic force her into a deep sleep. Five days.


	7. Author's Note

**Hello all! There has been a copywright enacted on all "illegal" copies of L Change the World on the internet (at least state side). So seeing as I do not know the movie by heart this fic is officialy on hiatus until I am able to find a copy of the movie to follow in order to finish. **

**Sorry guys. **


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